Sheet-straightening mechanism for paper-feeding machines.



TI G DEXTER & 1,1. EQJONES V I SHEET STRAIGHTENING MECHANISM FOR PAPER FEEDING. MACHINES.

APPLIOATION.IILED MATH, 1911.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913. 4 anus-sum 1.

' T. c. DEXTER'& R. JONES. SHEET STRAIGHTENING MECHANISM FOR PAPER FEEDING MAGHINES.

' T. 0. DEXTER & R. E. JONES. SHEET STRAIGHTENING MECHANISM FOR PAPER FEEDING MACHINES.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913 4 sums-31mm 3.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1911.

4 i: "m Q I M hggqa w & ,\.lw g l 0 k W H s I w Q Q a wvbnwoeo T. G. DEXTER & R. E. J ONES SHEET STRAIGHTBNING MECHANISM FOR PAPER FEEDING MACHINES.

. APPLICATION FILED mya, 19'11. .1 ,05 7,123.-

Patented Mar. 25,1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

TALBOT C. DEXTER AND RICHARD E. JONES, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, ASSIGNORS TO DEXTER FOLDER COMPANY, OF PEARL RIVER, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

SHEET-STRAIGHTENING MECHANISM FOR PAPER-FEEDING MACHINES.

T a all uihom it may concern:

Be it known that we, TALBOT G. DEXTER I and RICHARD E. JONES, both citizens of the produce a simple and effective form of auxiliary sheet straightening mechanism which can be applied to a sheet conveyer between the paper feeding machine and the printing press to correct inequalities in the position of successive sheets upon the conveyer without interfering with the rapid succession of sheets necessary to supply the high speed printing presses which are commonly employed.

To this end our invention. comprisesan auxiliary reciprocating sheet straightening frame or carriage mounted upon the conveyer frame and provided with cooperating upper and lower sheet straightening members arranged respectively above and below the plane of feed of sheets, and operating and controlling devices to cause said frame or carriage to move with the sheets at a slightly slower speed so that the sheets will engage said positioning members and be come straightened upon the conveyer while they are moving toward the gages of the press. The operating and controlling devices are so arranged that the straightened sheet will be released just prior to the limit of forward movement of the sheet straightening frame or carriage to permit the sheet to pass on in straightened position to the press gages, while the straightening frame or carriage returns to its initial position to receive a succeeding sheet.

In order that our invention may be fully understood, we will first describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawings and afterward point out thenovelty inore particularly in the annexed claims.

In said drawings: Figure 1 is a detail side elevation of a sheet conveyer having our auxiliary sheet straightening mechanism applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view of the same; the sheet con- Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May-8, 1911. Serial No. 625,735.

Patented Mar. 25, 1913.

' veying tapes being omitted. Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation, on a larger scale, showing the main parts of the improved mechanism. Fig. 4e is a similar detail view of parts shown in Fig 3 illustrating a shifted position. Fig. 5 is a detail vertical trans verse sectionalview taken on the line ac-02 of Fig. 3 looking forward. Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 showing a slight modification. Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views of the upper and lower sheet straightening members of the modified form shown in Fig. 6.

1 represents part of the frame of an ordinary printing press and 2 the press feed .usual pile front guides are shown at 7.

10 is the main cam shaft of the feeder, carrying in addition to the usual control ling cams of the feeding mechanism an auxiliary controlling cam 15 for operating the improved auxiliary sheet straightening mechanism presently to be described.

The usual sheet conveyer frame is represented at 20. This frame, comprising suitable side bars and end brackets, is pivotally mounted at 21, to the frame 5 of the feeding machine so as to extend over the press feed board 2 and present the delivery end of the conveyer in proper relation to the press gages (not shown) for delivering the successive sheets to the printing press. This conveyer includes the usual sheet conveying tapes indicated at 25 which operate over Itape rollers and are drive'n in a manner well understood in this art. Sheets separated from the pile P are delivered from the feeder by the usual drop roller delivery -inechanism w,(not shown) to the conv'eyertapes 25 which carry them forward to the press. In the form of conveyer illustrated, there is an intermediate lower tape roller 30 journaled to brackets suitably secured to the conveyer frame and auxiliary tapes 31 pass-..

ing over said roller and leading to the delivery end of the conveyer frame. Upper friction rollers 26 journaled in spring 'pressed rock arms 27 pivoted to brackets 37 are arranged to hold the sheets in frictional engagement with the intermediate lower tape roller 30 to insure the successive sheets remaining under the control of the lower tape roller 30 and delivery tapes 31.

Adjustably secured to the side bars of the conveyer frame 20 are the brackets .35 formed upon theirinner faces with guide channels 3G in which slide the side bars 37 of the sheet straightening frame or carriage. Each of these side bars 37 carries a bracket 38 one arm 39 of which projects upwardly and terminates in a sleeve hearing to receive a transverse shaft 40 while the other arm of which projects downwardly and terminates in a boss or hearing 41 in which is mounted. a transverse shaftpr bar 42. The bar 42 extends from side .to side 'f the conveyer beneath the plane of feed of sheets and is supported at its opposite ends in the brackets of the straightening frame of the carriage. Intermediate of the ends of said bar 42 are adjustably mounted the sheet engaging and supporting shoes 43 which constitute the lower sheet positioning members of the improved sheet straightening mechanism. Each of these shoes is preferably shaped as shown in Figs. 3 and 4 oft-he drawings, in which it will be observed that the upper surface of each shoe is curved slightly from a point beneath the plane of feed to a point approximately in the plane of feed, thereby forming a rounded heel 43 to insure the advancing front edge of the sheet passing over the shoe, and a nose 43 with which the upper sheet positioning members cooperate in the manner which will now be explained. By adjusting these members 43 upon their supporting bar 42, they can be properly placed to produce the best results.

40 is a rock shaft journaled in the bracket bearing 39 of the reciprocating straightening frame or carriage. This rock shaft 40 carries between its ends adjustably mounted arms 45 to which are secured curved sheet engaging plates or fingers 46. A plate or finger 46 is thus arranged in the same vertical plane with each of the shoes 43 and thereby constitutes the upper sheet positioning members.

A toggle arm 50 is adjustably secured to the rock .shaft 40 adjacentto one of the bearings 39, and a'second toggle link 51 is pivoted atSQ-to the toggle arm 50 and extends therefrom through an opening in a bracket plate 53 projecting from bracket 38. A small expansion spring 54 surrounds the toggle link 51' and is confined between the bracket plate 53 and the head of the toggle link 51. This spring actuated toggle arrb 50, and toggle link 51 constitute an autoniatic toggle latch for holding the rock shaft the feeder frame.

40 and attached parts in either of its two shifted positions. The rock shaft 40 also carries at one end a rock arm 55 having a laterally projecting pin or lug 56 which is presented in the slot 57 of the longitudinally slotted link 58 pivoted at )9 to the post 60 projecting upwardly from the bracket 35. If preferred the shaft 40 may have rock arms 55 engaging the slotted links 58 at both sides of the conveyor frame as shown in Fig. 2, although the device at one side will accomplislfthe purpose in most instances. Tn the reciprocation of the sheet straightening frame or carriage, the pin or lug 56 will engage the opposite ends of slot- 57 of link 58 to rock shaft 40 first one way and then the other at the opposite points of movement of the carriage.

Each side bar 37 of the reciprocating frame or carriage has pivoted to it at a link (56 which is pivoted at 67 to the up per end of av rock arm 68 journaled at (it) upon a depending bracket arm 70 secured to the conveyer frame. A rod 71 is pivoted at 72 to each rock arm 68 and extends rearwardly therefrom and is pivoted at 7.3 to

the lower end of a rock arm or lever 74 depending from rock shaft 75 journaled in The rock shaft 75 has an upwardly extending rock arm 7 6 carrying an antifriction roller 77 which runs in peripheral contact with the controlling cam 15 above referred to, some suitable spring device such as shown at 78 being arranged to hold the parts in operative relation to the cam.

' It will be understood that in the operation of our improved sheet straightening mechanism, sheets are successively fed from the pile of the automatic feeder to the tapes of the conveyer frame which carry the successive sheets to the press gages. As the leading edge of each sheet arrives between the upper and lower positioning members 43 and 46 (a pair of which is arranged adjacent to each side of the conveyor frame) the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the controllingcam 15 being at the moment moving the sheet straighteningfra me or carriage with its positioning members in the same direction as the sheet is traveling, but at a slightly slower speed. Since the conveyer tapes attempt to move the sheet slightly faster than the upper and lower sheet positioning members are moving, it will be understood that the leading edge of the sheet will engage in the crotches formed by the intersectimi of upper members 46 with lower members 43 and that in the event that the sheet is not advancing squarely with the conveyor, the side of the sheet which first engages the positionlng members of the straightening mechanism,

the tapes until the sheet is placed squarely upon the tapes. The retarding action ofthe sheet positioning members is very slight so as not to interfere materially with the neoessarily rapid progress of the sheets through the conveyor. As the sheet straightening mechanism reaches the limit of its forward mot-ion with the sheet under control, the pin or stud 56 engages the end of the slot of link 58 and rocks the shaft to raise the upper members all away from the lower members l3 to permit the sl'ieet. to pass on through the coi'iweyer under friction rollers 26 to the tapes 3i which carry the sheet to the .IXS the sheet is released from the straightening mechanism, the reciprocating frame or carriage is drawn back by the action of its cam and'when it reaches the limit of its backward movement, the stud or pin 56 engages the rear end of slot 57 of the link 58 to again rock shaft 40 for placing upper members 46 in sheet. arresting position.. The sheet straightening mechanism then moves forward again to repeat the operation just described.

In Figs. 6, T and 8 of the drawings, we have shown a slight modification in which the reciprocating carriage, constructed substantially as above described, is formed with downwardly presented lugs 80 supporting a rock shaft 81 beneath the conveyor tapes. This rock shaft 81 carries two rock arms 82 to which are attached gage plates or fingers 83 adapted to be moved across the path of sheets. The rock shaft 81 also has a rock arm 8l having a lateral pin or lug 85 operating in slot 86 of a link 87 pivoted at 88 to a depending post 89 secured to side bracket 35. The reciprocating carriage also has forwardly presented bracket. lugs'90 in which carried the bar 91 upon which are adjustably mounted bracket yokes 92 having mmintedupon them the vertically adjustable plates 93 carrying curved arms 94: supportcurvod sheet engaging tongues 95 formed with bifurcated ends 96. These curved sheet engaging tongues 95 are ad justcd to present them approximately in the plane of feed with. their rear portions curva my from the plane of feed. The parts so arranged relatively that gage fingers 8 3- will rest in. the bifurcated ends 96 of.

tongues when the parts are in position to intersect the sheet. The rock shaft 81 1s 'irov'ided with the sirin 'actuated toggle l .l t": a.

wactuated by said slotted link 86 and rock arm S l The operation of this modified form of the coach insm is substantially the same as thea 'neferred form, excepting that ion to correspond with in the modified form the member which is upon a conveyor for feeding sheets to a rapidly operating press, sincethe sheets are readily straightened upon the conveyer while they are in transit from the feeding machine to the press, there being no mate rial interference with the rapidity of movement and succession of sheets during the operation.

dl 'hat we claim is:

l. The combination with sheet conveying tapes, a carriage reci rocating parallel with said tapes, means or reciprocating said carriage at a slower rate than said tapes, sheet confining members upon said carriage upon one side of the plane of feed of sheets, cotiperating sheet engaging fingers movable into and out of the path of sheets,and means for automatically actuating said movable sheet engaging members. I

2. The combination with a sheet conveyer, having means for moving sheets, of a frame or carriage reciprocating parallel with the plane of feed of sheets, curved sheet confining members mounted upon said carriage upon one side of the plane of feed of sheets, a rock shaft journaled upon said carriage upon the opposite side of the plane of feed of sheets, sheet engaging fingers mounted upon said rock shaft and adapted to move into and out of engagement with said sh'eet link mounted upon a stationary supportandengaging said rock arm, a spring actuated toggle latch interposed between said carriage and said rock shaft for yieldingly holding the rock shaft in either of its shifted positions, and mechanism for operating said carriage.

- 3. The combination with a eonveyer frame," an auxiliary reciprocating sheet straightening frame mounted upon the cbnveyer frame and providedwith cotiperating uppe and lower sheet straightening members arranged respectively above and belowthe plane of feed of the sheets, operating and cont-rolling devices adapted to cause said straightening frame to move with the sheets at a slightly slower speed than the feed so that the sheets will engage said straightening members and become straight ened while they are moving forward; the operating and controlling devices being so arranged that the straightened sheet will be released just prior to the limit of forward movement of the sheet straightening frame so as to permit the sheet to pass on in strai htened position while the straightening rame returns to its initial position to receive a succeeding sheet.

4. The combination, with a conveyer frame having side bars; of the guide hraclo ets, one or both having an arm and fixed to the side bars and provided with guide channels, side bars sliding in the guide channels and each carrying a bracket formed with an upwardly projecting arni terminating in a sleeve, and a downwardly projecting arm terminating in a bearing, an upper rock shaft mounted in the-upper arms, a lower shaft mounted in the lower arms, sheet engaging and supporting shoes secured to the & 1,057,123

lower shaft, arms fixed to the rock shaft and having curved sheet engaging fingers, located over the shoes, :1 spring toggle between the rock shaft and the bracket carried by the side bars, a link having a slot and pivoted. to the arm of the guide bracket, :1 rock arm on the rock shaft having a laterally projecting pin traveling in the slot of the link, and means for reciprocat ng the side bars in the guide channels.

TALBOT G. DEXTER. RICHARD E. JONES. Witnesses:

Connns Lucas, EUGENE KE'rCI-IUM. 

